Issue - meetings

The Director of Regeneration and Place introduced the report which was based on the scoping report presented to the Committee in June 2020, and took into account the feedback received from the Member workshop exploring options for the waste contract. The waste and recycling service was contracted out to Biffa by Mid Kent Waste Partnership, with the contract ending in October 2023, with the street cleansing service carried out by an in-house Direct Labour Organisation (DLO).

Feedback from Members had indicated satisfaction with the current service, and therefore the report recommended retaining the current service delivery, however alternative options were explained. Recycling could be twin-streamed rather than the current co-mingled service, which would add £294,000 to the cost of the contract, and an additional £300,000 cost for provision of bin infrastructure. Kent County Council (KCC) could incentivise this change up to £180,000 however this sum would not be guaranteed. 

The four delivery models were outlined, and an error in the table at 3.2.2 was noted, whereby Local Authority Trading Company (LATCO) and Direct Service Organisation (DSO) had been swapped.

Although a LATCO was the cheapest option, the preferred route was to continue with the current model due to price certainty, quality and discharge of service risks. It was noted that an increase of £600,000 was expected if the current model was retained, and this had been budgeted for in the Medium-Term Financial Strategy. Maintaining an in-house service for street cleansing would allow control and add resilience to the depot services.

In response to questions, Chris Stannard of Waste Management advised that partnerships were attractive to contractors and that continuing as part of the Mid Kent Waste Partnership would likely offer better value for the council, although it would be possible to procure a waste contract for Maidstone as an individual borough. It was also confirmed that performance monitoring was measured per borough rather than per partnership.

Concerns around service level agreements (SLA) and contractor accountability were raised, and it was confirmed that the facility for public access to read-only, real-time information on contractors’ services is in progress, which would enable the public to self-serve. The Director of Regeneration and Place would investigate the feasibility of contacting the local Ward Member when a complaint to the service was received from a resident.

Following the concerns raised and questions arising from the recent purchase of the Litter Cam, it was confirmed that a briefing be arranged to update Members on the introduction of litter enforcement cameras to Maidstone, and to answer questions arising from the scheme.

RESOLVED: That

1.  The collection of recycling be continued as a co-mingled stream;

2.  In-House services be retained to provide street cleansing, and the waste collection contract be re-tendered; and

3.  Maidstone Borough Council remains within the Mid Kent Waste Partnership.